Linux often requires several kernel patches, or even Windows drivers, to work properly on a portable computer. HP originally intended to market their NC4200 notebook with Ubuntu, so they went the extra mile to get the system working with Linux.

XML is one of today’s most popular data exchange formats. Perl has a huge collection of methods for handling XML. This month’s Perl column discusses the pros and cons of the most common XML modules to help you choose the best tool for your job.

PHP experts consider Zend Studio the most mature and feature-rich IDE for PHP. The latest version offers enhanced database manipulation and other improvements. We’ll put the Zend Studio IDE through its paces and show you how you can use it to speed up PHP development.

The Vim editor has any number of tricks for helping you avoid unnecessary typing. In this month’s article, we look at some effort-saving Vim techniques for Perl hackers.

Following in the footsteps of Google, Amazon, and eBay, Yahoo recently introduced a web service API to its search engine. In this month’s column, we look at three Perl scripts that can help you correct typos, view other people’s vacation pictures, and track those long lost pals from school.

Zope, a web application server written in Python, is an extremely popular open source content management system platform. The newly developed version X3.0 was released just recently. We’ll show you what’s new in Zope X3.0.

Some developers condemn the use of debuggers, but in many cases, a debugger is a programmer’s last hope. In this Month’s Perl Snapshot, we’ll look at Perl’s integrated debugger.

A helpful Perl script gives you an immediate overview of your financial status, adding the balances of multiple accounts and share depots. It even allows users to add their own plugins.

Perl gives you better shell scripts. Sysadm::Install, a new module from CPAN, helps shell addicts let go of Bash.

Ruby is a very elegant language,and it’s harmonious – the parts work together effectively. Ruby also significantly reduces a developer’s burden. We’ll show you how to use Ruby to build a quick and simple web spider application.